LOUISVILLE, Ky.— For Matt Bevin, the rookie Senate candidate taking on one of the most powerful Republicans in the country — and possibly the most ruthless — every day on the stump brings a new hazing.

There was the time before he even jumped into the race against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell when Bevin was warned he’d be shunned by fellow churchgoers once McConnell was finished making mincemeat of his reputation. Campaign trackers follow Bevin constantly, recording his every public utterance to turn the slightest slip into an attack ad or Web video. Vendors and consultants one day say they’re ready to come on board only to ominously reverse course the next, after mulling the repercussions of crossing McConnell.

“I’ve had people who’ve said, ‘You can use our donor list’ or ‘I’ll come on with the campaign,’” Bevin said during a recent daylong campaign excursion around Louisville. “Then all of a sudden they change their minds.”

Some have told him they were warned “it will be the last job you ever have in this business” if they joined his campaign, he said.

“It is thuggery,” Bevin added. “It’s literally like something out of Tammany Hall. It’s dusting off Boss Tweed. I say bring it on.”

Bevin realizes no party leader has ever gone down in a primary; he knows the prevailing wisdom in Washington is that he has no chance, and that his only purpose is to damage McConnell heading into a tough general election against Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. No incumbent has a bigger target on his back this year than McConnell — a host of tea party groups and the entire Democratic Party both want nothing more than to defeat him — and Bevin’s performance could go a long way in determining whether the minority leader survives to serve a sixth term and possibly become majority leader.

Bevin credibly invokes a Horatio Alger-like life story on the trail. Grew up on a New Hampshire farm in a family of eight with a single toilet and a wood stove to heat the three-bedroom home. Worked his way through college on an ROTC scholarship and rose to the rank of U.S. Army captain. Self-made millionaire businessman and investor. Father of nine, including four adopted from Ethiopia.

Yet none of those feats could have prepared the 47-year-old, tea party-backed Republican for the self-inflicted endurance test he is currently experiencing taking on McConnell.

Down 20-plus points in polls — an improvement, Bevin notes in his characteristically upbeat manner, from the 40-point deficit he faced last summer — his immediate task is to convince people not that he will win the May 20 primary, just that it’s not totally inconceivable he could.

“Statistically, even now, it’s crazy long odds, but the tide is turning,” he said. “I’ve always been a risk taker, but I’m a calculated risk taker.” (continue reading)

The NRA is buying into McConnell’s campaign because they believe him when he says he opposes gun control, and they do not believe that Matt Bevin can defeat the pro-gun control Democratic front runner, Alison Grimes. Regardless of what we want to believe about the NRA, their leadership is basically motivated by the single issue of protection of our 2nd Amendment rights, and a large part of that is driven by the influence of profits from domestic arms sales. Big money has big influence over people in leadership, even in an organization like the NRA. And people who form organizations based on a single issue are often quite loyal to their leadership, especially when the issue is one as polarizing as gun control.

Now, my guess is that if you were to poll the rank and file members of the NRA who reside in Kentucky, you might just get a different result. Maybe. Problem is, the NRA leadership has the means (through their monthly publications and social media) to influence the opinions (and votes) of their membership. I strongly believe it would be very prudent for Matt Bevin to actively pursue the vote of the NRA rank and file membership in Kentucky. Perhaps he can purchase campaign ads in “American Rifleman”, “American Hunter”, “Shooting Illustrated”, “Shooting Sports USA”, etc. He could also make an effort to appear at gun clubs and shooting ranges throughout the state. A 68k membership could provide quite a few votes come primary election time.

Ted Cruz was facing “incredibly long odds” at the time of his Senate race as well. Couldn’t get the MSM to really speculate that he might actually WIN!during that time. That gives me hope- no matter the reports we might be given from any of the “press”.

The NRA has their own list and they don’t want to lose their access if they back the opponent and he loses. I understand their calculations, don’t agree with them and don’t like the fact that they won’t stand up for what is right, but sadly I understand they would come under fire of the mobster and his goons, not to mention the NRA leaders rub elbows and become friends with these men. So fear and loyalty explains the NRA.
The best way to influence the NRA is for their members to hold their feet to the fire and tell them they don’t speak for them and if they won’t listen then cut ties with them. Then that is a double edge sword as well because the NRA does have power that can help us. I prefer GOA myself.

Big time supporters usually come in near the end of the race, when their appearance will have the biggest impact. Also, there is a kind of band-wagon effect that occurs as news announcements of new endorsements start piling in. Bevin has to show he knows how to run a political race. (I think he’s doing a great job at this.)

Not saying this would happen, but it has in numerous races in the past. Also, Rand Paul is refusing to say anything bad about Mr. Bevin or especially good about Sen. McC. Doesn’t that tell you something? Don’t you think Kentucky Republicans will notice?

Bevin seems to be one of the good guys, but the others (especially McConnell) don’t play fair and have been at this a long time. They will make negative ads that will force Bevin to respond, just eating up Bevin’s war chest and taking time away from the real issues.. I have hope though because years ago, George Nethercutt defeated Tom Foley. Foley did alot for his home district and folks figured there was no way for him to lose, but Nethercutt did it. Of course Foley was not the dirty player that McConnell is, but he certainly had the power.

“George Nethercutt, running on term limit pledge, defeats House Speaker Tom Foley on November 8, 1994.” Prior to that you have to go back to 1858 to find another House speaker who was not reelected so anything is possible in the political world.

I am so disappointed that Rand will not verbally support and campaign for him. If both Ted Cruz and Rand campaigned for him, this could be a huge win or at least an easier win.

Mitch McConnell knifed conservatives in the back on June 11, 2013 when he voted for cloture on S 744 – the Chuck Schumer/Marco Traitor Rubio open-borders amnesty bill that grants eventual citizenship to encroachers without even extracting, in exchange, a truly sealed southern border. McConnell’s voting against the actual bill on June 27th was just cynical theater meant to fool Kentucky GOP primary voters. Hopefully the Kentucky GOP primary electorate is not as dumb as McConnell thinks they are.

Mitch McConnell is yet another great example of why term limits and meaningful campaign reform are both so badly needed at this point. People like McConnell will never give up the power they amass willingly, and once they’re so entrenched there’s just too much they can do to derail any real competition.

One thing that McConnell and his ilk are accomplishing though is waking more and more folks up to the fact that there’s only one ruling party in DC, and they’ll do just about anything to keep it that way. There are a lot of people on both sides of the aisle fed up with this fact, and I’d love to see Mitch’s thuggery come back to bite him at the polls.

Term limits? YES, The Confederacy would have established term limits. They foresaw the coming need for it and were already experiencing the dangers. They would serve their terms and then go back to their farms.

Some of the drafts of the Confederate Constitution are enlightening studies insofar as their insight into our future. By the time of the war, we had a history from which they had learned. Making the changes they would have made are impossible today.

Here in Kentucky, “Ditch Mitch” bumper stickers have been around for years, and they have always been on the bumpers of hard core Democrats. This is the first year that this conservative Republican grandmother is in full agreement with that sentiment.
Go get him, Matt!